Portsmouth High School has entered an important period of change as it begins the search for a new principal. This transition marks a significant moment for students, staff, and families, offering an opportunity to reflect on our values and look ahead to the future of our school.

Leadership plays a key role in shaping school culture, and the selection of a new principal will have a lasting impact on the Portsmouth High School community.

After four years of being principal, Stephen Chinosi has decided to step down from his position and pursue other opportunities. Since his decision to leave in July, the school has been at work, searching for a new principal who would meet the qualifications but also aligns with the needs and expectations of students, staff, and parents. 

Administrators, students, staff and parents have emphasized that the goal is to find a leader who will support both academic success and a strong sense of community.

“We’ve been in a long process,” says Dr. Zachary McLaughlin, the Superintendent of Portsmouth School District. “That work really began over the summer, when we learned that Principal Chinosi would be returning for one final year. In the fall, we formed a steering committee made up of students, staff, parents and a School Board member. That group has been meeting throughout the fall to help create a profile of the qualities and experience we’re looking for in our next principal.”

McLaughlin explained that this profile was developed using feedback collected from extensive surveys distributed to parents, students, staff, and community members.

The Portsmouth School District wanted to make sure that students and parents get a voice on this important decision. Therefore, to further gather input, the school held focus groups where participants discussed the qualities and leadership traits they would like to see in the next principal. These conversations helped highlight the values that matter most to the school community.

Furthermore, there is a student representative, Nathan Delaney, on the Search Committee who is eager to bring student voice to the search. 

“The next PHS Principal needs to be someone who is ready to grow alongside staff and students in a way that promotes Clipper Pride; yet, also pushes everyone in our Clipper Community to throw themselves into the depths of curiosity,” says Delaney. “We have an outstanding institution, and the next leader must continue the ongoing work to make PHS more internationally connected, organized and welcoming.”

“I think Clipper Pride and Clipper Community is really, really important, and I’ve heard that in various conversations and various focus groups and various survey reports. It just seems like people really want someone who is invested in the community and excited to be a Clipper,” says Jaclyn Chisholm, the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at PHS.

“Communication always comes up a lot in groups, whether that’s communication with staff, communication with students, communication with parents. I think that’s always a big ticket item that people really want to make sure that we are getting someone here who is a great communicator,” she adds.

According to McLaughlin, this search will continue going on for a few months, and the deadline to submit an application to be the next principal is January 1, 2026. 

“Our goal is to have a principal selected and a contract approved by the School Board by March 1. We don’t know yet if we’ll be able to hit that exact date, but that’s the target we’re working toward,” he continued.

As of now, the school does not have the information of who is running for the position of principal. According to Chisholm, PHS sent the job description to NESDEC, which is the New England School Development Council, and they posted the job to the public.

“You can dream up a unicorn type individual that you want to hire, but we also need to be really realistic about what it means to be a high school principal and making sure our expectations are wonderful and lofty, but that we are, I think, finding a good fit,” says Chisholm. “I think that the hardest part of the process is finding a good fit.”

Chisholm and McLaughlin noted that as the selection process narrows to a small group of finalists, candidates will be invited to the school to meet students, answer questions, and become familiar with the community before a final decision is made.

“We have a great committee, and I’m confident that we will find and choose the best candidate to be the next principal of Portsmouth High School,” says Delaney.

Stay informed on this hiring process as The PaperClip is committed to covering this news, and you will see more stories in the future at www.phspaperclip.net.